Our June Consultant of the Month, Jason Killough, is a franchise consultant who has made every person at Raintree he’s worked with feel like family. We truly appreciate these types of authentic relationships, so felt it would be fitting to get to know a little bit more about Jason through our Consultant of the Month program!
Tell us about your journey to franchise consulting
I have been in franchising since 1993! I went to school for international relations and wanted to go the foreign service route, but a few years out of college I landed a job with “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt,” a frozen yogurt franchise based out of Dallas. It allowed me the opportunity to travel the world, where I sold master franchises internationally. It was a great way for me to start my career in franchising as a young guy in his twenties fresh out of college!
After that I moved onto Jani-King, helping them open international master franchise offices and coaching master franchise owners how to sell unit franchises.
The international travel was fun for a while, but in 2000 I flipped to domestic franchising. I eventually became the VP of Franchise Development of HomeVestors (We Buy Ugly Houses), leading the franchise development department and team.
In 2009, I decided to join a smaller franchise consultant network, The Entrepreneur Authority, to combine my years of experience in franchising with my passion for coaching and helping others take control of their lives and become their own boss. We partnered with IFPG a few years ago which has been a fantastic relationship!
Why do you think you have found such success in franchise consulting?
28 years in the industry does not hurt. I have also had the opportunity to have been mentored by some of the top franchisors and executives in the business. My background and depth of knowledge gives me credibility to my candidates, which makes a major difference.
I also have a genuine interest in helping people. I take the time to get to know my candidates and understand their ultimate goals. From there, I am a matchmaker, not a salesperson. Candidates do not want to be sold, they want to feel like they are buying a franchise.
What is your favorite thing about being a franchise consultant?
My favorite aspect of consulting is not only helping my candidates find the best fit franchise for them, but helping them find great success. My ultimate goal is that they become top-performing franchise owners in whatever system they join. That should give any good franchise consultant the greatest level of satisfaction because it is a sign that it was a perfect match! I love hearing from franchisors about how my candidates are doing. For example, one of my candidates was rookie of the year for large mature franchisor – how cool is that? Another has consistently been the #1 franchisee in their system with over 100 franchisees.
What advice do you have for other consultants?
- Be honorable and honest! Your candidates are making a major, life-changing decision and they need to be able to trust that you are guiding them in the right direction.
- LISTEN to your candidates. Collect a great amount of information/data so that you can paint the picture of who they are, where they came from, where they want to go…there are so many moving parts to finding the right fit franchise.
- Provide the value add of being a coach and advisor. Connect them with funding partners, accountants, franchise attorneys, and anyone else who can help them on their journey of making an informed business decision. Use your resources!
Thank you, Jason, for your continued partnership and for taking the time to share your story with us!
